🏃♀️ Get Fit, Make Friends: Shepperton Running Group
Imagine a group of runners who are more than just friends - they're family. That's the heart and soul of the Shepperton Running Group, a vibrant community that's been running together since its inception ten years ago. What started as a simple Facebook post from a newcomer has blossomed into a colourful gathering of spirited individuals who lace up their shoes, don their purple gear, and hit the pavement as one big happy family. In this episode, we chat with John, Emma, and Emily, who share their personal journeys within the group, highlighting how running transforms not just fitness levels but social connections as well. It's not just about hitting a mile time; it's about creating bonds that last a lifetime, cheering each other on, and sharing laughs - like the time John saw founder Steve dressed as an inflatable turkey for a Christmas run. They discuss how the group's inclusive nature invites runners of all speeds and abilities, making it a welcoming space for everyone. Whether you’re a seasoned marathoner or just starting out, you’re met with open arms and a supportive cheer squad that makes every run feel like a party. So grab your trainers and come join the fun; you might just find your new best friends along the way!
Takeaways:
- The Shepperton Running Group isn't just a running club; it's a warm, welcoming community that feels like a family.
- Joining the group means you're part of something bigger, where everyone supports each other regardless of their running speed.
- Whether it's freezing cold or scorching hot, members find joy in running together and appreciating their surroundings.
- The group fosters inclusivity, encouraging all abilities and featuring fun events like themed runs, which are a hoot!
- Running in a group makes the time fly and creates bonds, with no pressure to perform or compete.
- New runners are welcomed with open arms, so just show up and you'll find your place in this purple family!
Produced by Gareth Davies at The Sound Boutique
Mentioned in this episode:
Shepperton Matters
Danielle Davies: Celebrant
Every story deserves a ceremony as unique as the people at its heart.
The Sound Boutique
Transcript
Other people outside the group probably think it's just a running club, another running club.
Speaker A:But what we think inside the group is like a little purple family.
Speaker A:I've only been three years, but I've made so many friends and it's so lovely to just to go along.
Speaker A:It's more than running, it's like a little social activity.
Speaker B:On paper, Shepparton Running Group is exactly what it sounds like.
Speaker B:A free local group that meets a few times a week and goes for a run.
Speaker B:But when you talk to the people who turn up week after week, rain or shine, it quickly becomes clear this is something else entirely.
Speaker B:Hello, I'm Gareth and this is the Sheppartonian Local Stories told by the people who live them.
Speaker B: It's the first episode of: Speaker B:We're starting with a reminder that community doesn't have to be complicated.
Speaker B:This time, I met up with three members of the Cheverton Running group, or the srg, as they call it.
Speaker B:John Carey, Emma Morton and Emma's daughter, Emily.
Speaker B:Ten years ago, there wasn't a running group in Shepparton.
Speaker C:When Steve moved here from Hayes area, there wasn't a running club or group.
Speaker C:So he put a post out on Facebook.
Speaker C:Anyone interested in a run?
Speaker C:I think 12 people turned up.
Speaker C:And then he saw there was a space for a running group in Shepparton.
Speaker B:12 people was enough.
Speaker C:It's always been free to join.
Speaker C:I mean, we're not really members, we're just.
Speaker C:We're part of it.
Speaker B:John came to it later and for him, it wasn't the mileage that sealed the deal.
Speaker A:One Christmas, I saw the captain, Steve, dressed as an inflatable turkey, and I thought, that's the club for me.
Speaker B:John had run for years, marathons, clubs, training groups, but this felt different.
Speaker A:I've blown to groups in the past and it's all been really a bit, what's the words?
Speaker C:Elitist.
Speaker A:Elitist.
Speaker A:That's with words.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Being the least.
Speaker A:And if you're a really good runner, you're the kingpins, and if you're not, you get left behind.
Speaker A:Whereas this group, I find it so inclusive and so friendly and, you know, as soon as I started running with them, I thought, us is lovely.
Speaker A:They're so friendly.
Speaker A:And, you know, the Wednesday night group, it doesn't matter if you're really slow or really fast, everyone sort of everyone joins in.
Speaker A:We agree a different route all around Shepparton, so we get to know all the different parts of Shepparton.
Speaker B:Emma is often described as One of the leading runners in the group.
Speaker B:But leadership here doesn't look the way you might expect.
Speaker A:She always turns up.
Speaker A:Whether it's freezing cold, minus 3 or 33 degrees, Emma's always turns up and that's basically where she leads.
Speaker A:She leads by example.
Speaker B:Emma didn't come to the group as a seasoned runner.
Speaker C:I ran in a gym but don't do that to people.
Speaker C:Get outside.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker C:And since I joined Shepparton, I mean I've just done every.
Speaker C:I haven't done an ultra marathon but I've done.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker C:Most other distances which I never even thought I would do.
Speaker C:But everyone just encourages everyone to join in or yeah, just a crazy run that you think why would I do that?
Speaker C:And then you find yourself doing it.
Speaker B:The council description says all abilities welcome.
Speaker C:The Wednesday group is a.
Speaker C:It's known as the social run.
Speaker C:So even if you are bath, everyone tends to stick in a pack because it's about chatting and getting to know people.
Speaker C:Because we do a Monday track set session at the athletics track, it's not much time for talking there.
Speaker C:It's sort of get on with the session and we can't really breathe most of the time around the track so it's not really a chance.
Speaker C:The track we have sessions that we, we know in advance what we're doing and it's short distances but fast.
Speaker C:Whatever fast means for you.
Speaker C:So people sometimes think I'm not fast enough to do speed work.
Speaker C:But that's the thing, it's.
Speaker C:It's relevant to your pace.
Speaker C:So someone can be doing 10 minute miles, someone could be doing 6 minute miles but for them it's a hard pace and that's just not personal progress.
Speaker C:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:And we all go to.
Speaker C:Well, all of us, but many of us go to Parkrun on Saturday.
Speaker C:Various park runs.
Speaker C:Some people tour every week to a different one, some people head to the same one and that's another opportunity where you spot someone in purple immediately got a friend at Parkrun.
Speaker C:And park run in itself is so inclusive and diverse.
Speaker C:So it's another opportunity to run together.
Speaker C:But, well, you can run with people if you want, but you can also run on your own but still feel part of a bigger group.
Speaker B:Running gives you a different relationship with the place.
Speaker A:That's what I love about this country is the different changing seasons.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Emma posted a picture this morning of this particular bench.
Speaker A:You've proposed a few of them.
Speaker A:It's almost like showing the different seasons.
Speaker A:She's going to post this.
Speaker A:This same bench over the year and today it was totally frozen.
Speaker A:Big frozen lake in front of it.
Speaker C:But with the sun coming up in the background.
Speaker A:Yeah, beautiful.
Speaker A:And then we've, you know, especially early in the mornings when we run like you know, half past six in the mornings we run with head torches.
Speaker A:When it's, when it's pitch black and it's quite, it's like magical, isn't it?
Speaker A:Yeah, it is magical.
Speaker A:And we get this, the sunrise coming up and there's like a group of eight of you running around the woods and suddenly the sun starts coming up and there's a beautiful sunrise and it's like you think, oh my God, this is beautiful.
Speaker A:I'm so pleased about here.
Speaker A:And when it's freezing cold, you're all wrapped up warm and then when it's boiling hot, you're doing T shirts and shorts and it's like you see the same scenery but in a completely different perspective.
Speaker A:It's nice seeing this in the.
Speaker C:And the river looks so different.
Speaker A:Oh, it's stunning throughout the year, but.
Speaker C:It'S always a joy.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Emma's daughter Emily agrees.
Speaker D:So you like, you have fun either way.
Speaker D:Like even if it's the winter and it's like minus four and you don't really want to do it, you feel like much better than if you didn't do it.
Speaker D:Like you've accomplished something.
Speaker D:And like even though like in the summer you'll be wearing crop top and shorts and you want like five layers in the winter, it's still like fun.
Speaker D:And you know, you get that feeling of like reward.
Speaker B:Sometimes.
Speaker B:It gets playful.
Speaker C:We have to go to Staines 10K.
Speaker C:Steve tells you off if you don't do Staines 10K.
Speaker C:And there's about 50 of us.
Speaker A:50 of us, yeah.
Speaker C:That make it on a in May every year.
Speaker C:And that's a really good.
Speaker C:Yeah, that's when you see just how.
Speaker A:Big so do we.
Speaker A:About 10% of the runners are there.
Speaker A:How many?
Speaker A:How many runners in?
Speaker C:800.
Speaker A:800.
Speaker A:How would you know that?
Speaker C:Cuz I'm on the committee.
Speaker A:Last year Emma and another member, Chris, dressed up as Slinky the dog and, and trained for and ran the London Marathon.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker A:Winning a Guinness Book of Record in Guinness World Record.
Speaker A:Oh, sorry.
Speaker A:Guinness World Record.
Speaker C:You actually get the book, I think.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:Two of us.
Speaker A:Two.
Speaker B:Which might be the most Shepparton sentence I've heard so far this year.
Speaker B:Almost everyone thinks the same thing before turning up.
Speaker D:I think it doesn't matter your speed as long as you try your hardest because like everyone's at a different pace.
Speaker D:So it's not like everyone's like competing and they're all really, really fast and they're all going to beat you.
Speaker D:Everyone's doing like their own journey and running and it doesn't really matter because you just try your best and you can accomplish what you want.
Speaker B:And for some people that starts with.
Speaker A:Couch to 5k SRG they've organized accounts to 5k which is people who've not never run before, but they really like the idea of running and being part of a group and getting fit.
Speaker A:So they start off at one of the Hazelwood.
Speaker A:It's usually based at Hazelwood.
Speaker A:There's others, others around the, around the area.
Speaker A:If you look up camps to 5k, some people are very unfit and they literally can.
Speaker A:Can run 50 meters before they start, you know, about to collapse.
Speaker A:And gradually, week after week, session after session, they're.
Speaker A:They're encouraged to run a little bit further.
Speaker A:Run, walk a bit, run a bit, walk a bit.
Speaker A:And before they know it, they can run 5k.
Speaker A:And one of our members, he started last year, I remember Chris and he'd never really run before and he did his 5k and he carried on coming down to track and he got faster and faster and did further and further runs.
Speaker A:And later in the year he did his first half marathon.
Speaker A:So within a year he gone from not a runner to half marathon.
Speaker A:Incredible.
Speaker B:So if you're listening to this on a Wednesday afternoon, what can you expect if you turn up?
Speaker C:Well, a discussion about the route or a recap of the route.
Speaker C:We tend to put it out on Facebook in advance if we've decided on one.
Speaker C:So people know roughly the route but.
Speaker C:But we make sure everyone's turned up that we're expecting to show up.
Speaker C:Head torches on if it's dark and then someone follows someone and it starts.
Speaker A:But I think if we've seen someone who's new and we don't recognize them, we want to know who they are.
Speaker A:Are they okay, have you on before and if they want someone to run with, you know, there's always someone who will be.
Speaker C:You know what?
Speaker A:I can't run very fast.
Speaker A:Don't worry, I'll run with it.
Speaker C:Make sure everyone's accounted for.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:We wait.
Speaker A:We wait at the end.
Speaker A:So obviously people there is a spread of runners and it does spread out a bit.
Speaker A:We try not to get too far.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker A:Also when it's dark, you don't want to just leave someone behind.
Speaker C:And you cannot if you know the route and you want to Cut it a bit shorter, then, you know, that's fine too.
Speaker C:You don't have to push yourself if you feel that that's a bit long for you.
Speaker C:But I think, as I said, people are surprised that actually it's not as far as they think.
Speaker C:In a group chatting, time just flies.
Speaker B:There's no membership fee, no pressure to perform, no expectation beyond turning up.
Speaker B:Just a group of people in purple meeting outside the Co Op at half past seven.
Speaker C:Well, obviously outside the Co Op, but it's really outside Mocadine.
Speaker C:That's right, yeah.
Speaker C:There's quite a lot of us can't.
Speaker A:We're all in purple.
Speaker A:Purple.
Speaker A:Because if it's cold.
Speaker B:If you're curious about the Shepparton Running Group or srg, you don't need to sign up, register or commit to anything.
Speaker B:Just turn up outside the Co Op on Shepparton high street at 7:30 on a Wednesday evening.
Speaker B:If it's dark, bring a head torch.
Speaker B:If you're nervous, that's normal.
Speaker B:You'll find a group of people in purple who'll notice you've arrived, make sure you're looked after and wait for you at the end.
Speaker B:Thanks so much to John, Emma and Emily and everyone at the Shepperton Running Group for sharing their story.
Speaker B:You can find links and details in the show notes.
Speaker B:I'm Gareth and this has been the Sheppartonian.
Speaker B:See you around.
